Founder’s note – July 2026

By Orla Clancy

Welcome to my July Founder’s Note.

July has been a month of progress, reflection and momentum for Strategic as we continue to strengthen our international network for communication, strategy and leadership. 

A key focus this month has been the continued development of Innovation Sprint London, taking place on 17 September at The Trampery, Old Street, Shoreditch. We are bringing together a small group of senior communication leaders for a practical working session focused on business impact, artificial intelligence and organisational trust.

We were delighted to confirm Louise Thompson as facilitator and have started to introduce our Executive Mentor Panel. So far, we have announced Orla Graham and Jonathan Phillips. Their collective experience will help guide participants as they work together to develop practical frameworks and solutions that can be applied within organisations. Many of you have asked about the format, and we have shared the agenda and FAQs. 

We have also continued to build the partnerships supporting the event. Strategic is collaborating with Everhaze as AI Innovation Partner, alongside industry leadership partners the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) and the Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII). Their involvement reflects the collaborative spirit at the heart of the Innovation Sprint and our ambition to connect communication leaders with expertise from across the profession and wider business community.

Preparations are also progressing for the Communication Leadership Summit USA, which will take place in Washington, D.C. on 16 October in partnership with IABC. Following our summits in Brussels, this will be an important next step in expanding Strategic’s international community and creating new opportunities for communication leaders across Europe and North America to exchange ideas and experiences.

This month has also created space to reflect on the longer-term direction of Strategic. Over the past six years, we have evolved from a publication and events platform into a broader leadership ecosystem spanning Strategic Magazine, membership, international events, professional development, executive forums, awards and strategic partnerships.

Our purpose is increasingly clear: to help communication leaders create and demonstrate measurable business impact. This means continuing to move beyond discussion and thought leadership alone, and creating more opportunities for leaders to turn insight into implementation within their organisations.

Alongside this work, we have continued to grow our commercial partnerships, develop new enterprise opportunities and explore how Strategic can scale internationally while remaining focused on the needs of senior communication leaders.

Strategic Magazine continues to publish perspectives from our members, Global Columnist Network and partners, while our wider community continues to contribute ideas, expertise and support across our different initiatives.

As we move into the final months of 2026, our focus will be on delivering successful events in London and Washington, strengthening our membership and partnerships, and continuing to build an integrated global platform that supports communication leaders throughout the year.

Whether you are a member, partner, columnist, contributor or part of our wider community, thank you for being part of Strategic. Your involvement is helping us shape a stronger, more connected and more commercially influential communication profession.

Best from Ireland,

Orla

Orla Clancy
Founder and Managing Director
Strategic

Written by: orlaclancy